Rethinking rehabilitation

Embedding person-centredness

Making a difference

Search the collection

Browse the collection

Featured

Publications

Browse journal articles and and other peer-reviewed research outputs from our members.

Browse articles

Reports, presentations and summaries

Explore bite-size research summaries, poster presentations and commissioned reports.

Browse other outputs

The AUT Person-Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre (PCR)

is a transdisciplinary research centre based in the School of Allied Health

Our aims and purpose

Our core aim is to make a meaningful difference to the long-term health and well-being of people and whānau impacted by injury, illness, or disability through transformative, person-centred rehabilitation research and knowledge exchange.

Find out more ↗

Resources

We've collated a number of resources based on findings from our projects on our website.

Resources on our website↗

Projects

We engage in a diversity of research projects. Explore our current mahi on our website.

Current research projects ↗

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Ethnic Differences in Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrolment, Participation, and Mortality: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Auckland, New Zealand
(MDPI AG, 2026-08-12) Marshall, Paul W; McCambridge, Alana; Douglas, Sasha; Kendal-Lindbom, Tia; Marshall, Wendy; O'Sullivan, Michael; Ganesh, Gayatri; Walker, Cameron; Earle, Nikki J; Reading, Stacey; Benatar, Jocelyne; Kingsley, Michael
Background/Objectives: Ethnic inequities in cardiovascular disease and healthcare access are well recognised worldwide, but it is unclear whether these inequities translate into differences in cardiac rehabilitation participation and subsequent clinical outcomes. This study examined ethnic differences in cardiac rehabilitation enrolment, participation, and mortality outcomes within a large multi-ethnic cohort to determine whether the association between rehabilitation exposure and mortality differed across ethnic groups. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 4940 consecutive patients referred to the Auckland cardiac rehabilitation programme between 2016 and 2023. Baseline characteristics, rehabilitation participation, and all-cause mortality were examined across ethnic groups. Associations with mortality were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic and clinical risk factors. Results: During a median follow-up of 5.6 years, 565 deaths occurred. Cardiac rehabilitation participation differed across ethnic groups (p < 0.001), with lowest participation among Pacific patients (44.3%) and highest participation among Asian patients (58.6%). Among attenders, total session attendance was similar across ethnic groups (p = 0.35). After adjustment, mortality risk was lower among Asian patients (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.46-0.74, p < 0.001), but did not differ for Māori (HR 1.21, 95% CI 0.86-1.71) or Pacific patients (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.79-1.36) compared with Europeans. Greater rehabilitation exposure was associated with lower mortality (HR 0.98 per session, 95% CI 0.97-0.99, p = 0.002), and no interaction between ethnicity and rehabilitation exposure was observed. Conclusions: Ethnic differences in cardiac rehabilitation were evident at the level of enrolment, but not in session exposure among attenders or in the association between rehabilitation participation and mortality. This study highlights the importance of distinguishing inequities in access and engagement from the effectiveness of rehabilitation once delivered.
Access status: Open Access ,
ACC Work Capacity Certification of Fitness for Work by Physiotherapists in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Qualitative Exploration
(Physiotherapy New Zealand, 2026-08-03) Meys, Shane; Fadyl, Joanna
Physiotherapists in Aotearoa New Zealand currently play a central role in injury management and vocational rehabilitation under the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) scheme; however, they are not permitted to certify fitness for work. With increasing pressure on general practice and inequitable access to timely certification, particularly for Māori, Pacific, rural, and socioeconomically deprived populations, there is growing interest in the option of expanding certification responsibilities. This qualitative study explored stakeholder perspectives on legally enabling physiotherapists to complete ACC work capacity certification of fitness for work. Six participants representing diverse stakeholder groups were interviewed using a semi-structured guide, and data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four key themes were identified: Challenges within the current certification process; Vulnerable populations are struggling and need better support; Opportunity for physiotherapy to offer a positive solution; and Considerations to support physiotherapy to certify effectively. Participants highlighted physiotherapists’ expertise, availability, and collaborative practice as strengths, and supported legislative change with appropriate safeguards. Findings suggest that physiotherapists are well-positioned to enhance certification processes, improve access and equity, and support better outcomes for injured workers. They also provide discussion around key considerations for professional development and practice. This study provides timely evidence to inform policy and professional practice discussions regarding physiotherapy’s role in ACC certification.
Access status: Open Access ,
Practicings of Person-Centred Care in Physiotherapy
(Wiley, 2025-10-31) Hansen, Louise Søgaard; Fadyl, Joanna; Cummins, Christine; Terry, Gareth; Kayes, Nicola
This article explores the practices of person-centred care in physiotherapy by adopting a complexity-seeking approach. We acknowledge that person-centred care is contextual and produced through relationships, sociomaterial practices and institutional and organisational settings, thus recognising the agency of more-than-human actors. We draw on the concept of practicings, which refers to a constellation of what is said, materialised, routinised and practised. This framework enables us to explore the complex interplay and interrelatedness of factors that constitute person-centred care across various contexts, transcending micro and macro levels. By conducting a secondary analysis of texts from three qualitative studies from Denmark and Aotearoa New Zealand on person-centred care in physiotherapy, we argue that seemingly disciplinary and governing practices can also be understood as practices of person-centred care. Through the application of the practicings concept, we aim to advance sociological constructs of person-centred care. Focusing on the complex network of co-constituting forces allows for a more nuanced analysis of practices of person-centredness in physiotherapy, with applicability to other similar healthcare settings.
Access status: Open Access ,
Practical Recommendations to Attract and Retain Allied Health Professionals in Rural Health Settings
(James Cook University, 2025-02-05) George, Jane E; Kayes, Nicola; Larmer, Peter J
Introduction: The recruitment and retention of allied health professionals (AHPs) in rural and remote locations is a worldwide challenge. However, there has been limited investment in strategies specific to AHPs compared with their medicine and nursing counterparts. This is in part due to an absence of research seeking to understand the unique challenges and opportunities that exist for the allied health rural workforce that can underpin strategies and actions. To address this gap, we have recently undertaken research to discover what AHPs identify as the attractive aspects of living and working rurally.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Work of Well‐Being: How People Work to Support Their Well‐Being After Stroke
(Wiley, 2026-08-04) Ibell‐Roberts, Claire; Bright, Felicity
Introduction Stroke can have a range of impacts on a person's life. Previous research has highlighted the need for greater attention to well-being, with people with stroke reporting that well-being is not well addressed in stroke services and therefore remains an area of unmet need. While previous research has considered how services address well-being, this study focused on those with stroke, exploring the work they did to maintain and enhance their well-being while receiving care from stroke services. It also examined how stroke services appeared to influence this work. Materials and Methods Underpinned by Interpretive Description methodology, interviews were conducted with 37 people impacted by stroke (24 people with stroke, 13 family members) across the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Data were analysed using directed content analysis guided by Normalisation Process Theory. Results People described undertaking significant work to support their well-being whilst receiving care from stroke services. We identified six interwoven forms of work which involved ‘inward work’—sense-making, emotional work and reconnecting work—and ‘outward work’—navigating health services, advocating for needs and doing rehabilitation. All were influenced by a person's network of relationships. People impacted by stroke perceived that the depth of this work was unseen by health professionals and described how stroke services could act to either reduce or exacerbate the work that they were doing for their well-being. Conclusions These findings show how people actively work to sustain their well-being whilst receiving care from stroke services. By examining how stroke services influence this ‘well-being work’, we highlight areas where health services may focus efforts to support well-being. Health professionals can acknowledge the work that people are doing and foster the resources they already hold, such as supporting people to engage in roles, relationships, cultural practices and social contexts that support their well-being from early in care. By doing so, health professionals and service leaders may set a foundation to better support people's well-being both in the moment and in the long-term. Patient or Public Contribution People with stroke, family members, and people who provide support to people with stroke, and health professionals set priorities for this research. They advised on study conduct and have provided feedback on wider findings from the research.